What to Cook for a Date, According to Some of Our Favorite Chefs

The best gifts are the ones you make yourself. By that same token, the best date meals are the ones that you cook yourself. For your next date night (because, you know, it’s Cuffing Season and all), skip the jockeying for a table at that hot new restaurant and get to know each other over a cozy, home-cooked meal. Not sure what to make? Here are 10 celebrated chefs from across the country on their go-to date meals.

Go for nachos:
“Matt [Hyland, chef and co-owner of Emily and Emmy Squared] and I rarely get a date night in, but when we do stay in, we make something called ‘Nachos New York.’ It’s nothing fancy—just decadent nachos: chips, queso, jalapeños, scallions, cilantro. He’ll make pico, and I’ll almost always make guac. The most particular thing about Nachos New York is that we always make them on a sheet tray so that all the chips get equal topping distributio, and no chip is left uncovered. We eat them with Other Half tall boys.” —Emily Hyland, co-owner, Emily and Emmy Squared, New York

DIY your pasta:
“For dates, I think it’s fun for both people to help—so fresh pasta is a nice way to be engaging. I’d make the pasta dough ahead of time and prepare a simple salad—bitter greens and olives—and a side of roasted mushrooms with hazelnuts. Then you just toss in the pasta in butter, chopped herbs, and Parmesan. It’s simple, not expensive, and delicious.” —Elise Kornack, former chef and owner, Take Root, New York

Shop, don't cook:
“For the first date I had with Felix (my now husband), we went out together to Whole Foods. We didn’t choose anything that needed cooking, but picked up charcuterie and pâté and the best cheeses we could find, plus nuts, fruits, olives, and figs with honey and goat cheese for dessert, and a bottle of champagne. It was hands down the best meal I have ever had on a date, and it didn’t involve a minute of cooking.” —Katie Button, chef and owner, Cúrate and Nightbell, Asheville

Keep it simple:
“Try not to make it too complicated—a great salad and a pasta. I’ll use dried pasta. I don’t want to make it look like I slaved away too much. And for dessert—keep it simple with seasonal fruits. Just find the best ones that you can.” —Jeremiah Stone, chef and co-owner, Contra and Wildair, New York

Consider the booze:
“Start with wine. For me it’s a Riesling, as that’s Barkha’s [Cardoz, co-owner of Paowalla] favorite wine. Then I’d do a duck salad, and striped bass with clams in a coconut curry with jasmine rice. End with a cheese platter and Bowmore 15 Single-Malt.” —Floyd Cardoz, chef and co-owner, Paowalla, New York

Just roast a chicken:
“My go-to date meal is roast chicken with lemons, sage, and caramelized onions. It’s easy and impressive. My wife, Liz, is a vegetarian, but she will still eat a great piece of this roast chicken on occasion.” —Michael Symon, chef and TV personality

Make red-sauce-style Italian:
“I made cannelloni for Evan [Rich, co-owner of Rich Table] when we started dating. It was a lot of prep—but it’s delicious and impressive. Complete the meal with some focaccia and red wine.” —Sarah Rich, chef and co-owner, Rich Table, San Francisco

Go all out with a big steak:
"I love to cook a meal for my wife that really feels like you spent all day cooking at home. My favorite for date night is aged ribeye with creamed morel [mushrooms], a classic wedge salad, and a loaded baked potato. It's comfort food, but it still feels really special." —Brandon Jew, chef and owner, Mister Jiu’s, San Francisco

Make your kitchen smell awesome:
“When we [Kim Clark and her husband, Johnny Clark, chef and co-owner of Parachute] cook for each other for date night, we like to cook with aromatics, spices, and herbs. Making pho from scratch embodies that—with the slow cooking of cinnamon, coriander, and black cardamom, Thai basil, cilantro, and scallion. Or we like to make samosa from scratch and turn it into samosa chaat with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, tamarind chutney, and cilantro chutney. We pair that with a slow-simmered chicken korma and spiced basmati rice.” —Beverly Kim Clark, chef and co-owner, Parachute, Chicago

Share (a little bit of) the work:
“When cooking, I try to focus on creating a sense of ‘We are doing this together.’ For example, I’ll teach my date how to open oysters. I also like to cut raw fish and dress it with a simple sauce. For the main course: roast chicken and seasonal vegetables. Small portions and balanced flavors work best.” —Daniel del Prado, chef and partner, Martina, Minneapolis